Sam Westhoek

Sam Westhoek waited until the midpoint of his life to start writing in earnest. He felt it best to first experience our world to its fullest.

His various travels have taken him to: farms and cities in Europe; amidst lush humid bayous on the Gulf Coast; across the grandeur of hills and plains in Texas; atop arid mile-high mountains in California; slogging through insidious moon dust in the Arizona and New Mexico deserts; under the variegated curtains of the aurora borealis in Iceland; through tropical fields on the island of Terceira in the Azores; and horseback riding amidst the aspens in the high country of Colorado.

Through it all, Sam has loved and lost, and learned to love again. He has currently settled in the middle of the country, in the middle of the state of Missouri, with his wonderful wife—his best companion. All five of their children have started their own lives, so again there has been loss and gain. Sam has been an encouraging force for writers in his community, hosting events for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the past few years.

He hasn't settled on one particular genre in which to spin his tales, so don't be surprised to find him published in a niche you least expect. His favorite genres are sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, and even poetry. His stories strike a chord with a wide range of ages. Turn a page and find something new each time.

Do yourself (and Sam) a small favor by taking a few minutes to sample each of the works in his growing repertoire. The Previews are free. If you use Kindle Unlimited, you can read his works for free. Conversely, you could invest in the craft and bless yourself with a copy of one of his ebooks or paperbacks. What a nifty symbiotic relationship!

Author Updates

Book Sales and Signing at Ocean Springs Library, MS
If you’re a denizen of the Gulf Coast, come visit with me and my wife, AngieMae. We have a few personal plans to tour some more of my childhood stompin’ grounds, but–wait!–there’s more. Ms Yvonne Parton, Branch Manager of the Ocean Springs Library has been kind enough to book me for an Author Meet & Greet, on Saturday, the 17th of March 2018, from 10:00-12:00. Not just sales, this event will be a great time for Q&

https://authorsamwesthoek.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/01-10-dark-sun.mp3
Nigel Stanford – Solar Echoes – Dark Sun
There are Writers out there who prefer “The Sound of Silence”—literally—over any type of music, in order to mitigate distractions while they write. Then there are the rest of us.
As Writers, we often talk about the Playlists we use for inspiration and visualization. We seem to gravitate to music and songs that lend themselves to unveiling the em

“New Year’s Resolution.”
You hear those words and you either perk up because of the adrenaline rush of the challenge, or you chuckle under your breath because you know the whole prospect is futile. People have a tendency to shake out into those two camps.
Here’s a deep principle to consider, though. There is a difference between a ‘resolution’ and a ‘goal.’ A resolution is simply a general idea of what you want to accomplish, stated in such a way you m

Music to Your Ears
Apart from “Water for Horses” being the title of an excellent tune by Darshan Ambient, from the album Falling Light, it’s also the springboard for the central idea in today’s blog. If you’d like to have a soundtrack for your read, simply click the Play icon on the Audio Player bar below. As much as I love words and conversation, there are so many other forms of communicating ideas, it would be remiss of me to ignore something as invigorating as music. https

Some Readers like a story told from the perspective of one Main Character. Other Readers prefer the variety of a slew of Characters and their interactions during a story arc. This session is dedicated to the use of Multiple Viewpoints within a novel.
Let’s first examine this concept from real-life examples. If you were described by your loved ones, by your friends, by your casual acquaintances, wouldn’t there be a host of differing opinions? Those differences a

In an effort to be transparent, I want to show how your purchase of my books filters out in the real world. How often does an Author–or anyone else in the public venue–do that for their patrons? The reason I want to share the details is to show you this writing gig we aspire to is always a circumspect balancing act. Sure, there’s revenue. But an Author still has to be wise concerning the income. Take a look at the numbers for a moment…
This snippet

We often find ourselves in this dilemma. There’s something in our life we’ve—at one point—determined to hold onto, to steward, to keep safe, to hide as a treasure. Time goes by and we begin to realize we’ve got to loosen our grip, possibly even turn it loose completely. But how can we justify to ourselves it’s the right thing to do? Can’t we just hold onto it a little longer? What if…?
This can be a feeling of attachment for things we own, for relat

Strap in for the ride. This is going to be a bit longer than I usually share with you. Reason being, I sourced the net for a list of attributes for a treatise on Mentoring. I want to address the process from both sides, first, providing insights into the etiquette of being mentored and, second, taking the responsibility of being a good mentor.
The current terminology seems to be Mentors and Mentees. (Sounds like candy that will clear your sinuses!) Since

One father. One mother. Two sons. Two daughters. And a void that could only ever be filled by a twenty-something-year-old daughter.
We’re all still working through this loss. It may take us quite a while to find our ‘new normal’, yet we’re navigating toward it. One of the most important aspects of finding our healing is to keep communicating with each other.
On the day Yvonne left us, one of the immediate things we took care of was contactin

Do you thrive on the physical tactile sensation of holding a book in your hands and actually flipping the pages to read, versus doing so on a tablet or phone as a simulation of the real act? Does turning each page solidify for you the progress you’re making toward reaching the conclusion of a story? Isn’t it almost an indescribably tantalizing moment when you notice the fine spice scent wafting from the pages of an aged book? And what about the sheer volume an